1. Technical Field
This document relates to methods and materials involved in using morphine, morphine precursors (e.g., reticuline), morphine-6β-glucuronide, and inhibitors of morphine synthesis or activity to treat mammals.
2. Background Information
Many people suffer from conditions such as depression, neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease), pro-inflammatory diseases, autoimmune disorders, and atherosclerosis. In many cases, few, if any, successful treatments are available for these people.
Morphine is a powerful analgesic that is routinely used to reduce pain in humans. For example, surgery patients are typically instructed to take 5 to 10 mg of morphine per person to alleviate pain caused by the surgical procedure. In some cases, patients suffering from extreme pain (e.g., burn victims or cancer patients) are instructed to take higher doses of morphine. For moderate to severe pain, the optimal intramuscular dosage is considered to be 10 mg per 70 kg body weight every four hours. The typical dose range is from 5 to 20 mg every four hours, depending on the severity of the pain. The oral dose range is between 8 and 20 mg, but orally administered morphine has substantially less analgesic potency. Orally administered morphine can exhibit about one-tenth of the effect produced by subcutaneous injection of morphine since orally administered morphine is rapidly destroyed as it passes through the liver after absorption. The intravenous route is used primarily for severe post-operative pain or in an emergency. In such cases, the dose range is between 4 and 10 mg, and the analgesic effect ensues almost immediately.